Just Always Be Waiting For Me
by whatifimnotthehero
Summary: A Snape/Harry are forced to bond/marry fic. Harry has spent the summer after the fall of Voldemort exploring India when on one of his final evenings Snape arrives with the news that they must bond. Harry begins to struggle with the ghosts that returning to Hogwarts starts to dredge up and Snape is the only person who can help him. SNARRY.
1. Chapter 1

**Just Always Be Waiting For Me.**

**Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

He sat on the deck of a boat as the sun set in the distance and looked at the Taj Mahal. His time in India was coming to an end in the following days and this felt like a perfect ending. He couldn't say that he was completely sad to go. It had been a magical summer and he had been left alone by the press after the fall of Voldemort. Coming to India had been the perfect thing for avoiding the press. He was planning on continuing that streak in Australia, as soon as Ron and Hermione's wedding was over with. He was had plans to head out on his birthday, the day after Ron and Hermione left on their honeymoon. Home was full of ghosts that he didn't care to revisit this soon, and Australia was full of things he'd never experienced and free of the destruction and chaos that had followed the war.

He watched the colors that filled the sky bleed into the reflection of the water and thought about how things had changed in just a few short months. With Voldemort gone and the rest of the Death Eaters rounded up he was free to travel and do as he pleased. Most people had expected him to join the Auror academy with Ron, and had been taken by surprise when he had left instead. He had been chasing dark wizards most of his life and didn't feel compelled to continue. He had done his service and most willingly, and he had lost too much for him to ever want to go down that path willingly again. What he needed now was an opportunity to figure things out on his own and to give himself space from all the grief that had followed their victory.

He had forgone the offer from Professor McGonagall to finish his final year at Hogwarts as most everyone else had done. Hermione had unsurprisingly taken her NEWTs on her own and passed with flying colors. Ron had snatched up the offer from Kingsley to go into the Auror training program and Harry had fucked off to India. He couldn't see himself at Hogwarts without Ron or Hermione by his side and couldn't feel the need to become a fully qualified wizard on a piece of parchment. Hadn't finishing off Voldemort proven that to everyone? Harry wasn't sure what his plans were for the future, but what he did know was that he couldn't really see himself in a desk job at the ministry for the rest of his life. Or settling down with Ginny Weasley and having a brood of children to raise. The fact of the matter was that he liked blokes, and Ginny was totally wrapped up in Dean Thomas.

He sat basking in the evening sun when he heard the faint pop of apparation behind him. He quickly pulled his wand and stood to face the intruder behind him.

"Snape," he breathed lightly. "What are you doing here?"

"Your wonderful friends enlightened me of your location," Snape said darkly.

"Yeah, but why?" Harry said pocketing his wand.

Snape didn't say anything but instead thrust an envelope into his hands. Harry looked up at him questioningly and the man motioned for him to open it.

The pair of them weren't exactly great friends, but they had been civil to each other what little time that Harry had hung around after the war. They had saved each other in the end, and they owed it to each other to put aside any petty differences that had stood between them in the past. The war was over and it was a time that should be filled with fresh starts and new beginnings. He hadn't seen Snape in months, and he could only hope that their unspoken truce still stood.

He turned over the cream colored envelope in his hands, noting the broken ministry seal. Harry pulled the letter out and unfolded it curiously.

He read over the letter and it dropped from his hand immediately. Snape stooped and snatched it up before it was blown into the water.

"What does that mean?" Harry asked still reeling from what he had read.

"It seems that we are being forced into a marriage of sorts," Snape answered sharply.

"Why?" Harry asked confused.

"It seems as though your ability to read has suffered in your months away. Our families have deemed it necessary. An arranged marriage of sorts," Snape shot at him.

"And if we don't?" Harry asked confused.

"We lose our magic," Snape scowled darkly. "Please do read things more thoroughly in the future."

"I don't understand. Why now?" Harry asking ignoring his snark.

"It seems as though our grandparents made an alliance of sorts and this was a stipulation. The ministry didn't deem it to be a pressing matter until of course the war ended," the man explained boredly.

"When?" Harry sighed.

"The end of August," Snape said shortly.

"Oh, right," Harry nodded shortly.

"When are you expected to return home?"

"Oh, in a few days. Ron and Hermione's wedding is next week,"

Harry said staring down at his feet.

"I shall see you upon your return," Snape said curtly and was gone with a light pop.

Harry couldn't believe that he was stuck in this situation. Everything had been going so well for once and now he was once again forced to abide by someone else's plan for him. He felt even worse for Snape, the man had all but given his life for the cause and now this. He tried his best to be civil about all of this and contain any outrage for the both of their sakes. It's not as if Snape wanted this anymore than he did. It felt as if both of them would live out the rest of their lives as dictated by others. Life just didn't deem it necessary to be fair when it came down to the pair of them. He had just be freed from the weight of saving the world, and Snape had been freed from his duties as a double agent. The man finally had the choice to do as he wanted, and now he was being tied down to Harry. A part of him couldn't help but feel guilty about it all.

The next morning Harry packed his few belongings into his rucksack and started his journey back to London. The news had dampened his taste for India and he felt that he should show Snape some support in all of this. After all they were in this together and they had to find an ally in one another. Even if Snape was the least promising person for him to ever find an ally in. He wasn't sure if where to go he considered just checking into a room at The Leaky Cauldron, but quickly dismissed that when he thought of all the attention it might garner. He didn't care if he ever saw Grimmauld Place again in his life, and the prospect of staying at The Burrow didn't seem bright. There would be loads of guests in for the wedding and he knew that Mrs. Weasley would do her best to accommodate as many as she possibly could.

He found himself standing on the front steps of Spinners End debating on whether he should knock. Before he could find the nerve, the door was pulled open to reveal a scowling Snape.

"Are you going to stand there all day or come in?" He asked impatiently.

"Right, sorry, may I come in?" Harry asked nervously.

"If you must," Severus said stepping aside to allow him entry.

Harry stepped into the man's house and looked around in interest.

There were loads of thick volumes lining the walls and besides the books the house seemed to follow a minimalist theme. Like Snape had gutted the entire place and furnished it simply for his basic needs. It wasn't exactly warm and welcoming like The Burrow, but there was still something about it that he liked. If nothing else, it definitely shouted Severus Snape at him. It was a home and part of Harry so desperately ached to find that in some place other than Hogwarts.

"I thought you weren't due home for a few days?" Snape asked bluntly.

"I came back early. I thought maybe we could sort of figure things out."

"What is there to figure out?" Snape snapped at him. "The document was pretty straightforward."

"I know, but like what are your plans for the upcoming year? I know a marriage requires close proximity so it's not like we can abandon each other," Harry said running a hand through his messy hair.

"Indeed it does," Snape remarked snidely.

"So, are you going back to Hogwarts?" Harry asked optimistically.

"I had not planned on it, but now things seemed to be working against me," Snape said somewhat bitterly.

"What were you going to do instead?" Harry asked with interest.

"Never mind that," Snape scowled at him. "We will be returning to Hogwarts in the fall."

After some coercion Harry managed to get Snape to agree to allow him to stay at Spinners End. Snape finally relented and granted him permission to stay in the small guest bedroom after Harry has complained about lack of space at The Burrow due to wedding guests. Then Snape had inquired about Grimmauld Place and Harry had to explain his disdain of the place since Sirius had died and how he had the place being remodeled and decursed so that he could give it to Ron and Hermione as a wedding gift. Snape snorted noncommittally when he told him that and disappeared behind a secret door in one of the bookcases, that Harry could only boil down to leading to the man's personal potion's lab.

The room that Snape had allocated for him seemed to have been vacant for quite some time. He couldn't imagine the man entertaining a lot of visitors, or anyone besides himself who would willingly want to stay under the man's roof. Snape was probably one of the coldest individuals that he had ever met and couldn't imagine him to be particularly welcoming. You would have to be mad as a hatter or completely desperate to seek out this place as somewhere to stay. Then he asked himself which category that placed him in and he begrudgingly reminded himself that he was in a category all of his own: the fiance.

Feeling dirty he dug through his rucksack and pulled out some clothes that seemed clean. He really needed to do some laundry. He climbed into the warm bath and allowed himself a much needed soak. This summer had consisted of roughing it and a shower consisted of the few showers he had gotten when he had gave in and gotten a room at one of the local inn's or quick dips in rivers or lakes when he came across them. If nothing else he was extremely grateful that he had gotten away this summer, who knew when he would receive his next opportunity. Snape didn't seem like the kind of bloke that liked to inhabit anywhere other than this house or the dungeons at Hogwarts. He certainly couldn't imagine the man willingly trekking across India with him in the summer heat. The man would probably melt because he would refuse to wear anything other than solid black. Harry grinned to himself at the thought of a sweaty, bright red Snape trapped in the summer sun.

He stayed in the bath until his fingers had gone wrinkly and only then did he give his hair a quick wash and climbed out to dry off. Everything in Snape's house seemed to be designed around efficiency, which suited the man well. Harry assumed that he was in the guest bathroom, and that the man had his own private bathroom by the lack of belongings in the cabinet behind the sink. The bathroom was almost empty besides the furnishings and the soap and towel that Harry had found. It definitely confirmed Snape's status as a solitary creature. Which made him worry how the man might cope by suddenly having to share his personal space with another person, more importantly him.

His stomach got the better of him and he headed downstairs to have a look through the kitchen, but it didn't seem like Snape kept the place very supplied. Sighing, he slipped on his trainers and went out to get dinner for the pair of them. He wasn't sure what the man liked and hoped that he didn't mind Harry choosing dinner for the both of them.

It felt odd to be home after having been away so long. The English summer couldn't compare to the Indian one and he found himself missing his misadventures. If everything had gone to plan he would have been off to Australia by the end of next week, but instead he was back off to Hogwarts. The idea of Hogwarts after the battle and everything that had happened there didn't seem like the most of appealing of places to be. He had seen so many people die there and he worried that there might be a few more ghosts for him to run into in the corridors.

The onslaught of funerals that followed the war had gotten the better of him and was part of the reason he had taken off. He had felt guilty about it, but guilt would do him no good and so he had found ways to try to let go. Harry worried that going back to the school might dredge up everything he had sort of managed to come to terms with. He pushed it out of his mind for the moment and decided that he was going to try to make the best of this situation.

He walked home carrying the bags of takeaway and smiling lightly to himself. Whoever his grandparents were they certainly had ensured him the adventure of a lifetime by arranging a marriage between himself and Severus Snape.

"Professor?" Harry asked knocking lightly on the door that Snape had disappeared into hours before.

When he got no answer he gave up and went into the kitchen to lay out his spread.

"You look like a lost boy," Snape commented from behind him.

"What are you on about?" Harry asked happily.

"You look like you've been wearing those clothes your entire life," he said dryly.

"I packed sparingly," Harry shrugged. "My relatives only gave me my cousins hand me downs so everything I've owned belonged to my cousin, well besides the occasional Weasley sweater. Speaking of clothes I really need to get on being fitted for my dress robes for the wedding."

"Such a dated concept," Severus scowled and Harry laughed and received a scowl of his own.

"You seem rather okay with all of this," Hermione said pouring over the document from the ministry.

"What can I do about it?" Harry asked adjusting the dress robes he was trying on.

"I think I'd cry, mate," Ron looked at him gravely.

"I'm trying to think of it as an adventure. He said I look like a lost boy, so just call me Peter Pan," he grinned broadly.

"How is Snape taking it?" Hermione asked handing him another pair of robes to try on.

"Fairly well, I kind of expected him to hex me into oblivion," he laughed.

"The war changed everyone," Hermione pointed out. "Who is to say that it didn't change the enigma that is Severus Snape?"

"I guess I'll find out," Harry shrugged and went to try on the next pair of robes.

Later that afternoon Harry came in to find that Snape was nowhere in sight and decided to leave the man to his own devices. He pulled his freshly developed pictures out of his bag and the album that he had picked up in Diagon Alley and sat them on the coffee table. He made himself a cup of tea and sat to work on placing the pictures into the album.

Some time later Snape came out from his secret doorway and Harry jumped and knocked over his tea onto the album and pictures. He jumped up flustered by his own clumsiness and sighed. Snape flicked his wand and cleared up the mess, and it was as if everything was as good as new.

"Thanks," Harry blushed and sat back down.

Snape came over and inspected what he was doing. He picked up a photo of Harry smiling in front of the Taj Mahal and looked at it briefly before sitting it back down.

"You can have it if you want," Harry said picking it up and extending his hand towards the man. "We are getting married after all. Even if it wasn't our idea."

Snape hesitated for a moment before accepting the photo. He looked it over again and nodded in thanks to Harry.

Harry watched with interest as he crossed the room and placed the photo in the corner of one of the pictures that hung in front of his desk. He found himself quite pleased by the gesture and smiled brightly at the man whose face remained unreadable.

"Your birthday is soon is it not?" Snape asked after a moment.

"This weekend," Harry answered confused.

"Do you have any plans?" The man pressed further and Harry shook his head.

"Ron and Hermione leave for their honeymoon on Saturday and my birthday is Sunday," he shrugged.

Snape said nothing but nodded and took a seat at his desk and began looking over some scrolls quietly.

"Will you be my date to the wedding?" Harry asked hurried and blushed scarlet.

"I am quite sure that you can find someone much more suited," Snape said thoughtfully.

"Who is more suited than my fiancé?" He pressed.

"Potter..."

"Call me Harry," he said stopping him. "If we are meant to be married then we should call each other by our first names."

"I will keep that in mind," Severus nodded and returned to his scrolls.

Harry was incredibly beat from the last two days and the time difference and headed up stairs to have a nap. He pulled his shirt off and climbed onto the cool bed and hugged one of his pillows close. He briefly caught himself wondering if he would ever have to share a bed with Severus. They were going to be married and something about it seemed like he next logical step. He pushed the thought out of his head and dozed off quietly.

Some time lately he felt himself being shaken awake. He shot up in surprise when he realized that it had been Severus.

"I made dinner. If you would like to eat," Severus said and left the room.

Harry went into the bathroom and splashed some water on his face and wandered down the stairs.

Severus had made a beef stew and had set the table for the two of them. Harry set down on the side closest to him and waited for Severus to serve himself.

"Why were you going to leave Hogwarts?" Harry asked again.

"If you must know," Severus frowned at him. "I would much like to have a bit of privacy. You of all people should understand that."

"Yeah," was all that he could manage to reply. He definitely understood that want.

He slipped into his own thoughts and frowned at the thought of the giggling girls that would follow him around the corridors. There had been a sort of radio silence from him all summer and he dreaded to see what the prophet would dream up. He had told few people of his plans and now he was once again a part of British wizarding society.

Harry hadn't counted on that. He was used to no one caring about who he was. In India there hadn't been such a frenzy when he introduced himself, he was basically nobody. He worried about how everyone would react to his presence. Maybe he could just brew an unlimited amount of polyjuice and shave Neville's head.

When dinner was finished Severus disappeared behind his secret door again and Harry decided to do the washing up. When he had finished he wandered over to the secret door and knocked, but there was no answer. He shrugged and went upstairs to collect his laundry.

He wrote Severus a quick note and went to find the closest laundry. He wasn't sure how wizards did laundry. At Hogwarts the elves did it all and he'd never actually seen Mrs. Weasley do any at The Burrow. He finally found a muggle place and was glad that he only had one load to wash because everything was ridiculously overpriced.

As he waited for the clothes to finish he thought about how quickly things were going to change. How he and Severus were actually being amiable and how he was soon to be married. He was worried about returning to Hogwarts after the events of the final battle, but some part of him also felt like he was returning home. Whatever happened it would definitely be an adventure, for better or worse.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think so far, please and thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Just Always Be Waiting For Me**

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I profiting from this in anyway. **

Harry and Severus had stayed surprisingly clear of one another in the days before the wedding. It wasn't by Harry's choice, but Severus seemed keen on avoiding as much conversation as possible. Other than passing each other at breakfast in the morning, he rarely saw anything more than the back of the man as he disappeared into his private lab. He hadn't received a yes or a no in regards to his invitation for the man to accompany him to the wedding and he was fairly certain the radio silence would stand on that front. He was a bit disappointed, because part of him had hoped that the man might agree to come along with him, but after all he was Snape and it was probably the longest shot on the planet. He didn't even know why he'd ask really, he thought it would be nice to have the man along for some reason. When in reality, Severus would probably find something to complain about or insult every few seconds.

He hadn't been back to The Burrow since everything has happened at the end of the war. With the loss of Percy and Bill the Weasley home was a broken one and they were still learning to live with the holes that had been formed. He suspected that the only thing that had kept the family, especially Mrs. Weasley going, was the upcoming wedding. She must be so pleased to see her youngest song getting married, and he expected that was why Ron and Hermione had left her in charge of everything. It was to keep her going.

Part of him felt guilty for running after the war, but it had all been too much. Harry had spent his entire wizarding life fighting Voldemort and losing those he loved in the process. He'd run away to India, because he felt like he couldn't breathe after the war, and it had helped it immensely. It helped him to realize that he was finally free from the restraints that he'd been placed under thanks to Voldemort. That he would never have to come back home if he hadn't wanted to, well at least not until Severus had showed up and changed everything. If he had to be bonded to someone he was glad that it was Severus, who wouldn't treat him any differently for the role he'd been born into. Going out to wizarding places was hard enough without being swarmed and he couldn't imagine feeling that way all the time with his significant other.

"Is brooding by yourself in my sitting room all that you're capable of?" Severus had asked catching him staring off into nothing.

"No, what do you mean?" Harry asked startled.

"Every time I come out of my lab I find you brooding in that exact spot," the man replied pointedly.

"Sorry, just thinking," Harry shrugged noncommittally.

"I'm shocked that the ability does not escape you, believe me," the man replied smugly.

"You're a prat," Harry shot back half-heartedly and Severus smirked and went into the kitchen to make lunch.

The morning of the wedding Harry sleepily climbed out of bed and padded into the bathroom to have a shower. He pulled on the horrible dress robes that Hermione had picked for him and went to have breakfast. Severus was already in the kitchen wearing something that eerily looked like dress robes and sat a plate of eggs and toast in front of him. He looked up at the man in confusion and muttered a quick thanks before tucking in. Severus sat at the table across from him sipping his coffee and reading the morning paper.

"It seems as though our impending union has made the announcements page," Severus said sliding the paper across the table to him.

"Brilliant," Harry said scanning the page. "They could have at least waited a bit longer."

"Mmm?" Severus hummed in question.

"They had to go and announce it on the day of my best friends wedding. If one person makes a bigger deal about it than Ron and Hermione's big day I might hex them," He sulked.

"Speaking of your friend's wedding, I thought that I might accompany you after all," Severus said expressionless.

"That'd be great," Harry smiled lightly.

After breakfast he stood in the hall pulling at the neck of his robes, and silently pleading with them not to choke him over the course of the day. He smoothed out any wrinkles and took his glasses off and cleaned them on the edge of his sleeve. He really should get a new pair, he though mildly at the glasses he'd been wearing since he had gone started Hogwarts. They were dull in color and had been through the entire war with him. He'd repaired them so many times he was surprised that they were still able to go back together when broken. He ran a hand over his hair trying to get it to behave in some way and sighed in frustration when it would just bounce back up. He'd given up trying to put anything in it because it was determined to be just as stubborn as he was apparently.

"You need a haircut," Severus said walking by without looking up from the book in his hands.

"Look who's talking," Harry grumbled.

The moment they had landed on the front path of The Burrow he was drug away by the Weasley twins to a waiting Ron. All he had time to do was mouth a quick sorry to Severus before the man turned and headed into the back garden with the rest of the guest.

Ron was in his bedroom and he looked like he might be sick at any moment, but he also looked incredibly pleased. He was busy fumbling with his tie and batting away Ginny who was attempting to fix it for him. Ginny smiled kindly at him before returning to her assault on her older brother. Charlie clapped him on the back before handing him the rings, which he tucked safely into his pocket. The room was incredibly crowded and he felt mildly claustrophobic being trapped between the twins on Ron's bed.

Everyone asked about his summer away and what he had gotten up to abroad, but he knew the real question that everyone was burning to ask was about Severus. How could they not want to know? He was their evil, dungeon bat potions professor and Harry was to be married to him. Hell, he'd been living with him for a few days now, they bound to have loads of questions about how that was working. Like, how come Snape hadn't ground him up and bottled him up to use as a future potions ingredients, or killed him in his sleep. He knew that the announcement had been in the paper this morning, and he wasn't entirely sure who had put it there, it had to have been a leak at the ministry. There would be few people how didn't know about it at this point he reminded himself.

"What's it like living with Snape then?" Fred asked breaking the floodgate first.

"Yeah, does he turn into a bat at night and fly about your garden?" George teased.

"He just sort of stays in his lab all day," Harry shrugged. "We might share a meal, but that's the most I see of him all day."

"Isn't he horrible to you?" Ginny asked skeptically.

"He's alright other than the passing insult," Harry said running a hand through his hair.

"So are you about to be Harry Snape then?" Ron asked looking even paler than before.

"I dunno. We haven't talked about it much. I don't even know where we're getting married."

"We had bloody well be invited," Fred said pointedly and the rest of them nodded in agreement.

"I'll see what I can do," Harry smiled lightly. "But today should be about Ron and Mione."

The wedding was really great and he didn't know if he'd ever seen his two best friends happier. They were both glowing at the alter as they made their vows to one another. He stood by Ron's side and he slipped the ring onto Hermione's finger and then when they kissed and the officiant announced them as man and wife. He was beaming from ear to ear at the entire thing, but he still felt the dull ache in his stomach of something he would never have. He was sure that Severus would make a great life partner, but he wasn't sure that he'd ever love him the way Ron and Hermione loved each other. And even if he did come to love him chances were that the man would never reciprocate that love. Thanks a lot grandma and grandpa he thought to himself as his friends went down the aisle arm in arm.

He spotted Severus near the back, but when he made his move to go to where the man was standing he was enveloped in the arms of Mrs. Weasley. The woman was beaming, with tears of joy sliding down her rosy cheeks, but he could see it, the wear of losing two children that was on her face too. He idly wondered if that was something you could ever hide, it must be something that parents wore, like a scar it would never go away. Mr. Weasley wore it too, but Mrs. Weasley's was more obvious, he supposed any mother might take the death of her children harder. After all she had carried them and given birth to them, it was a bond that no father could share.

She chastised him for not eating enough, and asked him how his time away was. She was like the mother that he had never known, and he could feel her need to mother him start to reach out stronger than every. Undoubtedly spurred by the loss of Percy and Bill. It wasn't as if she was looking to fill the void their deaths had brought, but merely to placate the ache instead. She was just about to go into full mother mode on him when Severus touched his shoulder and she smiled up at the man instead.

"Severus, dear, how nice to see you," she said warmly.

"Molly, I was just hoping I could steal my future husband away for a few moments," Severus said curtly.

"Of course! I'll talk to you later, Harry, dear," she smiled softly and made her way towards the bride and groom.

"Thanks," Harry breathed in relief. "I don't know if I could have handled her crying on me."

"Indeed," Severus said leading him towards the bar and handing him a drink.

After Ron and Hermione had left, Harry had spent entirely too much time taking shots with Ginny and Dean and was significantly drunk. He started to miss Severus not long after, but finally spotted the man standing down by the paddock with a drink in his hand. He stumbled happily down the hill to where the man was and grinned at him broadly, then proceeded to thrust his drink into the man's hands. With a little big of effort he managed to tug his dress robes over his head and slung them across the fence.

"You're drunk," Severus stated mildly amused.

"A bit," he nodded in agreement. "Will you dance with me?"

"I don't dance, Potter," Severus answered darkly.

"Just this once?" Harry asked sloppily.

"Not even this once," he mused. "Come on, I will take you home."

"I am a bit tired," Harry decided happily.

The next morning he woke up with a familiar pounding in his head, and he couldn't even stand to open his eyes. The sunlight streaming in through the small window in his room was practically blinding at this point. He groaned loudly and pulled the blankets up over his head in annoyance. He had just decided that the only way the only solution was to sleep this off when he smelled the food from the kitchen waft in through his cracked door. He groaned as his stomach turned and buried his head underneath his pillow as well. He had just gotten his stomach to settle enough when Severus swept in and pulled the curtains open, and the duvet off of his head. He groaned in annoyance, but the man simply thrusted a bottle of hangover potion into his hand. He poured it down his throat gratefully and murmured a quick thanks to the man.

Severus was otherwise preoccupied and Harry watched as the man slung open the doors to his wardrobe and stared at the clothes in disapproval. He started pulling out all of Harry's clothes and tossing them into a pile on his floor.

"What're you doing?" Harry asked half confused, half mad.

"All of this has to go," the man said gesturing to the pile of clothing in his floor. "You cousin must have been the size of a small whale if this shirt is anything to go by."

"Yeah, he liked to eat," Harry smiled ruefully. "What're you doing, if you throw everything out I will have nothing to wear."

"This is your most tolerable outfit," Severus said thrusting a pair of trousers and a button up shirt at him. "Get dressed your clothing situation can't wait any longer."

"I thought we were going tomorrow," Harry asked confused.

"Like I said, this situation is more dire than previously anticipated. We can't have your adoring public say that I am not properly caring for you," Severus said holding up a pair of socks that had been darned a few too many times and tossing them into the pile.

Harry allowed himself to be lead through the bustling alley and to Madam Malkin's by Severus. It was nice to see the alley thriving so well in the months following the war. He briefly remembered that in the months leading up to the war that loads of the shopkeepers had closed up shop and abandoned the place, he was glad to see that most of them had returned. A few people were bold enough to stop him and ask him how he was much to Severus' annoyance, and he tried to be ask quick and polite as possible with them before setting back on his way.

Once inside the shop, Madam Malkin shooed away her shop assistants to help him herself. She was a kind older lady, who might have just been a bit younger than McGonagall. She took his measurements and quickly helped instructed her assistant to pull some robes for him to try on. Nearly an hour later he had new robes and some new pants and songs, but not much else. Severus then lead him further down the street to a shop that specialized in muggle clothing and ushered him inside.

Inside this shop a young shop assistant helped him find everything he might need. She pulled trousers and jeans for him to try on. Then she moved onto dress shirts and then just causal shirts and undershirts. By the time it was over he had an entirely new wardrobe including new trainers and a pair of boots for the wintertime. Severus had made sure that he was going to look presentable in the future, he couldn't say that he was sad about it, but part of him was going to miss his old clothes. They were his armor and he could disappear inside of Dudley's oversized clothes, but now these new ones were going to draw attention to him and he wasn't sure if it would be a good or bad thing.

He thanked the man for his birthday present and climbed into bed that night in the new pajama's that had been purchased that day for him. When he had offered to pay for some of the stuff Severus had put him off and said that it was his job to make sure that Harry was cared for in the future. They were to be married, and as he was the younger member of the marriage, he was in charge of making sure that all of his needs were taken care of. It was odd to him, in all his life he'd never actually remembered someone taking that on and part of him welcomed the idea of having another person that he could depend on, and not just for clothing and things like that. Severus had been watching over him his whole life and it was like now he had a solid reason for it.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Just Always Be Waiting For Me**

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter and I'm not making a profit from this.**

On Harry's birthday, Severus suggested that they go to Diagon Alley, under the guise that he needed to purchase some potions ingredients. He shrugged and agreed to come along, if for no other reason than to get out of the house. It was one of the first birthdays in a long time that he had spent away from his friends. Ron and Hermione were off on their honeymoon, and he couldn't be happier for them, but that meant he was left to celebrate on his own. He had gotten a lovely card and a necklace containing the ash of a phoenix from them that morning, but he still missed them. Mrs. Weasley had sent her usual gift of homemade sweets and she even sent along a small cake for him. Then the owl from Hogwarts came baring the gift of Hagrid's rock cakes and a small bottle of cake flavored vodka. Then there was Severus' gift that out shined everyone's, hanging in the wardrobe in his room.

Diagon Alley was bustling as always and he wasn't sure if he'd ever get over the bout of whispering that tended to follow him. It was distracting and he often felt like he was underneath an eye glass for everyone to see. Severus on the other hand walked beside of him paying little to no attention to the whispers of their impending marriage and about how poor Harry was being forced to marry a Death Eater. He wanted to shout at them the truth, but part of him knew that Severus wouldn't appreciate him making a scene in order to defend him to the public. He knew he wore his emotions on his face and heart on his sleeve most of the time, and part of him envied Severus' stoicism.

"You're a bit of a prat sometimes," Harry mused as the assistant at the apothecary went away flustered.

"Only a bit? I must try harder in the future," Severus shot back and Harry couldn't help but smile.

"I think you like your reputation as the resident dungeon bat at Hogwarts," Harry said examining a jar of powdered asphodel. "He was only trying to help."

"I'd like it more if it kept more idiots away, and does it look as if I need help?" Severus asked plucking the jar from his hand and placing it in his basket.

"You're impossible," Harry said in mock defeat.

"Nearly," Severus said and placed more jars in his basket.

Severus had disappeared down the alley to take care of some business and Harry wandered into the Quidditch shop. He hadn't gone with the intention of buying a new broom, but something about the new Firebolt caught his eye. His old one had been destroyed in the final battle and he hadn't thought of buying a new one until now. This one was amazing and all of the best professional teams were flying on them. He knew that if he had this broom he'd be nearly impossible on the pitch, and there was a brief pang of misery at the thought of not playing Quidditch anymore. He wasn't a student anymore, and now he would have to take the title of spectator. Maybe Madam Hooch would let him help out sometimes, but it wouldn't be the same as playing, he would definitely miss it.

It was much sleeker than his old broom and the new black design, accented with the color of your choice was amazing. The little stats chart claimed that it was loads faster than the last model and there was a picture of Viktor Krum flying on one during a match. It was the broom of every wizarding boy and girl's dreams, or at least that's the tagline that the company had gone with.

He ran his hand down the sleek, black handle and felt the broom hum under his touch.

"Shall I buy it for you, for your birthday?" Severus asked from behind, causing him to jump in surprise.

"What? No, just looking is all," Harry said embarrassed at having been caught.

"Mmm," Severus mused looking at him with interest. "If you want it you should buy it. I think you should indulge yourself in some situations. I think it's a frivolous sport, but it's clearly something you enjoy."

"Was that you trying to be nice?" Harry asked amused.

"An endeavor in that direction perhaps," he said inclining his head. "If you tell anyone I will be forced to kill you and cook your remains into a very dark potion."

"I'm shaking in my boots," he laughed turning back to the broom.

It took a lot of debating, but Harry decided against buying the broom, because he wasn't even on the school's team. It would spend too much time in the corner for him to rationalize spending that much gold on it. He took one last look at it before leaving to find Severus, who was waiting out front for him.

After a lunch at The Leaky Cauldron, Severus said something about needing to go to Flourish & Blotts and Harry followed after him. He was browsing through books on Quidditch when he noticed the little girl that kept watching him from across the shop, she couldn't have been over 6 or 7. She looked as if she was debating on whether or not to come over to him. He watched as she ran out of the shop and felt sort of relieved at having not been confronted by her. He browsed through the books a bit more and when he looked up the girl was standing a few feet away from him holding an ice cream cone and beaming at him.

"Happy Birthday Harry Potter," she said softly and handed him the cone.

"Uh, thanks," he smiled uneasily. "What's your name?"

"Amber," she beamed at him. "I was wonder if you might sign this, please?"

She extended a copy of Witch Weekly that had declared him bachelor of the year and a pen. He sat the magazine on one of the shelves and signed it quickly with an added XO. She squealed an excited thanks and ran from the shop.

"You're not going to eat that are you?" Severus said from behind him.

"I was, why shouldn't I?" He asked eyeing the chocolate cone.

"Little Amber might have an older sister or cousin who is quite handy with a love potion," Severus said annoyed.

"Alright then, test it," Harry asked holding out the cone to the man. Severus took out his wand and scanned the cone. "Seems like a lot of trouble to go through for an ice cream."

"You're impossibly dim at times, but the cone is clean you may eat it," Severus nodded in approval.

"Cheers!"

After a busy day in London, they headed home to Spinner's End. Severus had spent the evening teaching him how to make a curry, and that's what they had for dinner that night. That and a slice of Mrs. Weasley's birthday cake that had arrived that morning. It was a really pleasant birthday altogether, and part of him felt that Severus went out of his way to try to make him have an enjoyable weekend. Especially, since his best friends were away and couldn't celebrate with him. He was really thankful to the main for everything, because he'd spent too many birthday's alone as a child.

After dinner, Severus helped him to clean up the kitchen. He put the rest of the cake from Mrs. Weasley away with the other things she'd sent and cleared the table. Harry washed while Severus dried, and together they had the dishes finished in no time at all. After they'd finished the dishes Harry put the kettle on and Severus disappeared into his lab again. He wasn't sure if the man was going to come out or not, but when the kettle went off the man reappeared from behind the door. He seemed to be holding some potion in his hand and looked anxious about giving it to him.

"What's that?" Harry asked gesturing towards the small vial.

"One last birthday present," the man said after a moment.

"What is it?" Harry asked accepting the bottle.

"Felix Felicis," Severus said quietly.

"Really?" Harry asked enthused. "You know I won Slughorn's because of you and your annotated potion book."

"Ah...yeah someone is a little more Slytherin than they'd care to show," Severus teased him. Of all people Severus Snape had just teased him.

"Thank you for this weekend," Harry grinned and pocketed the bottle quickly.

"You are most welcome," Severus replied with a slight bow of the head.

"It really was the best birthday, I can remember," he beamed at the stony faced man.

"Goodnight, Mr. Potter."

"Goodnight," Harry smiled again and leaned up on his tip toes and placed a small kiss on the older man's cheek. "Thanks for everything. I really mean it."

With that Harry bolted up the stairs and into his room, not even taking the time to see the man's reaction. He'd either live to see the morning or Severus would murder him and bury him the backyard for being so brazen. What was so wrong with it, they were going to be married soon, and he was betting that things might be a lot simpler if they were affectionate to one another. Part of him knew that was a fleeting idea, because he and Severus might be amiable and everything, but the man was as uptight as they came. The only indication that the man did indeed prefer males over females was the fact that their marriage arrangement had been deemed valid. Somewhere deep inside of him he felt like he and his hand were going to get better acquainted than they already were.

A few days after his birthday, he was forced to follow Severus to Hogwarts. The castle had given him quite spacious and nice quarters within Severus' dungeon rooms, but he still felt off. There was a weight that hung over him and the entire castle, and it was as if he couldn't shake it. Too much had happened here and everyday he was forced to face it. Whether it was walking to the school's pitch to muck about on one of the school brooms, or going to the Great Hall for breakfast, the entire place was soiled with the deaths of so many good people.

Harry kept telling himself that everything would be better once the students arrived and the halls were once again filled with the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Right now he sort of felt like the entire place was just a monument to those who had died, and the hallowed halls only served as a reminder to him of the final battle. Voldemort had been vanquished, but it had come with a huge price. A price that he couldn't help but feel partially responsible for.

Here he saw even less of Severus than at Spinner's End. The man was busy brewing potions for the hospital wing's stores and preparing lesson plans for the upcoming year. He started staying in bed until lunchtime, because he just didn't want to eat breakfast alone in the small kitchen anymore, and he he lost his appetite in the Great Hall. He spent his afternoons alone on the schools' pitch or kicking around Hogsmeade. Harry had started spending a lot of time in The Three Broomsticks and one day around two weeks after he'd arrived at the school Rosmerta had offered him a job waiting and clearing tables. He had almost refused, but in the end accepted her offer. Any time spent away from the castle, and not on his own must be productive, he had reasoned with himself.

"I got a job," he told Severus that evening over a cup of tea.

"Oh, where?" the man asked looking up from the letter he held in his hand.

"Three Broomsticks," he grinned proudly. "I'm a waiter/busboy."

"A little hard work might do you some good," Severus answered noncommittally. "Are you not worried about drawing attention to yourself?"

"Not in Hogsmeade. It's one of the only places that I feel like people don't fawn over who I am. Besides, Rosmerta runs a tight ship," he shrugged. "I'm glad to be out of the castle, it's starting to get to me I think."

"Nevertheless," Severus said standing and striding over to his desk. "Congratulations are in order."

Harry watched him take a small black box from his desk drawer and set it on the edge of the desk and move towards his bedroom door.

"What's that?" Harry asked puzzled.

"For you. Goodnight, Harry," he said softer than normal and the door shut behind him with a snap.

"Goodnight," Harry said a bit breathlessly.

He stood warily and looked at the box on the desk, then to Severus' door, and back to the box. It was several minutes before he made his move and quickly snatched up the box. Without opening it, he quickly disappeared into the safety of his own room still clutching it. He sat on the edge of his bed for a long while staring at the box. He finally worked up the nerve to open it and inside sat a silver ring with the Prince family crest on it. It was the engagement ring that Severus, as the older party, was required to give him before their marriage.

This made everything all too real for him and he quickly slammed the box shut and shoved it into the drawer on his nightstand. He was going to be married and all too soon. Their vows were permanent and Severus was who he was going to be spending forever with and part of him still needed to come to terms with it.

He hurriedly changed and climbed into the bed for a night of what would be restless sleep at best.

**A/N: If you read any of my other stories I'm going to try to update really soon I promise, I feel like I haven't in awhile, but I have. Anyways, I'm working on a big, unrelated project right now, and that's the reason for any delays, but it should be done by the end of the month! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**


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